LossBusters Blog

“What?What do you mean we are out of product?Did you check the cooler and stockroom?How could we be out?I know I ordered plenty and checked it all
in.What happened to it?”So goes a mysterious disappearance of a food
item.A negative hit on food cost and of
course – profitability.In effort to
track and prevent this type of loss, we start with answering this question:

As an industry we are facing the continuous rise of
commodities that adversely affect our businesses.The rising price in grains and feed affect
the price of raising cows, pigs, and chickens increases price for milk, eggs
and of course the meat and poultry.Efficient use of these staples in our restaurants is essential in
remaining competitive in the marketplace.This translates into food cost.We can’t afford to waste the food we sell either in the inefficiencies
of converting raw product into sales– or theft.

“Pizza, pizza, pizza!Everyday it’s pizza.I get so tired of pizza that I eat free as a benefit of working here.So, with a little ingenuity, our late night crew now gets a little variety in our diet.We worked out a little trade with the other late night restaurants next door and across the street.We exchange a few pizzas for chicken, tacos, burgers and fries.Everybody’s happy!”While investigating mysterious rising trends in food costs, I heard this kind of statement many times from employees, particularly those working the late night shifts.